


Sunset

by songofdefiance



Category: Dishonored (Video Games)
Genre: Dishonored 2, F/F, Gen, Pre-Relationship, Prompt Fill, Set During Dishonored 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-24
Updated: 2017-11-24
Packaged: 2019-02-06 04:20:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12809493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/songofdefiance/pseuds/songofdefiance
Summary: “Anton and I missed you at dinner.”





	Sunset

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! This is the first of several prompt fills, from Tumblr that I will be posting here. I'm currently NOT accepting prompts, because I'm working on a NaNoWriMo project, but my inbox will be open again in December!

Whenever Emily is recovering from another foray into Karnaca, she comes up onto the deck to watch the sunset.

Back in Dunwall, she never had the time to really appreciate such a view (and weather often obscured it).  Instead, she had to be content with imagining how the rays would give her city a soft glow, momentarily hiding the industrialization of Dunwall.  Here, it’s different; it streaks across the water and, for a few moments, it’s bright enough that she has to look away.  Once that moment passes, however, Karnaca is silhouetted in a rose-colored tint, and she doesn’t have to imagine it.

It’s quiet, up on deck.  Emily’s not a fan of sleeping below (she’s been shaken awake by an exasperated Meagan on more than one occasion, who would then tell her to ‘use your damn bed’), so she often catnaps up here instead, the breeze lulling her towards slumber.

Not this time, though.  This time, she’s wide awake.

The sun sinks beneath the horizon, and she watches as the water stops glittering.  In the distance, she can hear the sound of the dockworkers preparing to head back home for the night.  She leans her forearms against the railing, glad that she left her coat in her cabin, and enjoys the breeze.

“Anton and I missed you at dinner.”

Emily starts.  Meagan always manages to sneak up on her, though she has yet to figure out how.  The ship captain’s footsteps become audible, and she steps up to the railing, beside Emily.

“I know,” Emily said.  “I just…”  She gestures towards the last red light.  “I try to watch them when I can.”

Meagan lays her hand on the railing, staring in the direction that Emily indicated.  Emily takes the opportunity to study her, noting how much better she’s looking.  A marked improvement, and likely because Sokolov is back.  Emily would even go so far as to say that Meagan looks  _happy_ , as much as the captain can be.

“It is a nice view,” Meagan agrees, after a moment.  “But you just got back from the Conservatory an hour ago.  You need to eat something, preferably  _before_ you accidentally fall asleep up here again.”

“I’m not really hungry.”

“I smell bullshit.”

“I’m really not,” Emily insists.  “I have a lot on my mind.  That’s never been good for my appetite.”

Silence falls after that statement; Emily can practically hear the gears turning in Meagan’s head as she tries to figure out how to get Emily to eat dinner.  Emily looks down at her hands, realizing there’s blood under her fingernails from where she’d clawed at a witch’s face.

“Wanna talk about it?” Meagan finally says.

Emily blinks in surprise, turning to face Meagan.  Thus far, Meagan has never shown much interest in hearing Emily’s introspection; whenever Emily shared her thoughts, Meagan would counter with a biting comment about Emily’s failings as a ruler.  

She’s always right, too.

Then there’s the fact that Emily’s troublesome thoughts are about Meagan herself.

“What made you want to join Delilah, back then?” she asks.

She doesn’t look up, not sure if she wants to see what Meagan thinks of her inquiry.  When she eventually does look, however, Meagan has a thoughtful look on her face.

“Delilah has a lot of charisma,” she says.  “Back then, when I was younger, and I met her… it was kind of like getting hit in the face with a carriage.  I was starstruck the moment I met her.  She made you feel like if you joined her, you’d be able to do anything.  And a lot of times, that’s true.”

Her face darkens.  “And a lot of times, you don’t realize the cost until it’s too late.”

That makes it sound like the story goes even deeper than Emily knows, but she doesn’t press the issue.  She nods instead; it makes sense to her.  She knows that there are people out there who can suck you in, who draw people to them like moths to a flame.  She’s just been lucky that she was never exposed to someone like that.

That, or she’s just immune.

“Thanks for telling me,” she says.  “It… helps me to understand.  Why people chose her, I mean.”

“They didn’t  _choose_ her,” Meagan snaps, startling Emily.  “Don’t ever have that illusion.”

Emily smiles, shaking her head.  “At least some of them did, Meagan.  And I have to at least try to understand.  They’re still my people.”

“Not yet they’re not,” Meagan mutters, but it lacks her usual bite.  

Emily feels a rush of warmth at that, realizing that this is the first time that Meagan and she have had a conversation that feels… genuine.  Like they’re now just talking, instead of planning out Emily’s next outing and going over what they know about Delilah and her allies.  

After a moment, Meagan catches her eye, and sends her a small smile.

“You gonna eat now?” she asks.

Emily nods.  “Yeah, my appetite seems to be back.  And Meagan?”

Meagan had already turned, preparing to head below deck, but she pauses, pivoting to face Emily.  “Yeah?”

“Thanks,” Emily says.  More playfully, she adds, “You know, this place kind of feels like home, now.”

She half-expects that statement to be met with another derisive comment, but to her surprise, Meagan sends her another small smile.

“I’m glad.”


End file.
